JRuby

The Ruby Programming Language on the JVM

We’re looking for good mentors and students to come together and
help make JRuby even more awesome. JRuby has great potential to
expand Ruby and to improve the state of Ruby development, and at
the same time it represents a number of interesting and unique
challenges.

Mentors and students can apply at the JRuby GSoC Page.
More information is provided below about GSoC ideas and what we
expect of students and mentors.

Ideas

[Ideas for JRuby’s GSoC]((https://github.com/jruby/jruby/wiki/Google-Summer-of-Code-2013) fall into a few categories:

Working on JRuby itself

JRuby always has challenges keeping up with CRuby/MRI on features, and
it’s through user contributions that we’ve managed to maintain such
a high level of compatibility. There are also many interesting technical
challenges implementing JRuby, like optimization, monitoring, debugging,
and integrating with the Java platform. We welcome students interested
in helping improve JRuby.

Working on libraries and tools for JRuby

Because JRuby runs on the JVM, many libraries from CRuby/MRI don’t work,
either because they depend on features the JVM can’t support (like fork(2))
or because they use native extensions. This can make it more difficult for
users to migrate to JRuby. We welcome students interested in helping fill
out JRuby’s support for common CRuby/MRI libraries.

Building on the JVM, its languages, and its libraries

The JVM is a huge platform with many languages and libraries that all
have unique features and interesting solutions to software problems.
JRuby can leverage those features through its Java Integration capabilities,
but often they need extra work to really have that “Ruby feel”. We welcome
students interested in helping JRuby leverage the features of the JVM and
the languages and libraries it hosts.

How to Get Involved

Students

If you are a student and interested in working on a JRuby GSoC
project this summer, join the mailing list above
and let us know what project you have in mind. When the call for
GSoC proposals opens, submit your idea!

GSoC will be open for student proposals on April 22nd (US time)
and closes on May 3rd. NOTE: Proposals can be edited after submission,
so don’t be afraid to submit early. We’ll discuss them with you and help
you improve the proposal up until the deadline.

To apply, visit the the JRuby GSoC Page.
If you don’t have a GSoC profile, there’s a big Register link to create one.
Once you have a GSoC profile, you can apply.

Students should have the following skills:

Solid knowledge of Ruby. JRuby knowledge is a plus but not necessary.

Good work ethic. We want students that will carry projects to completion.

Strong interest in the problem domain for their project. For example,
if you want to work on JRuby’s compilers, you should have an interest in compilers.

We don’t know how many GSoC slots we’ll get, but the more proposals we have
the more likely we’ll get slots. Submit proposals as soon as possible!

Mentors

If you are a mentor and would like to help a student work on some
project this summer, now is the time to apply at the GSoC page. We
are looking for folks that will be able to educate and encourage
students during the summer and help keep them to a solid schedule.

Mentors will be accepted any time during the proposal process.

To apply, visit the the JRuby GSoC Page.
If you don’t have a GSoC profile, there’s a big Register link to create one.
Once you have a GSoC profile, you can apply.

Mentors should have the following characteristics:

Some experience mentoring junior developers, either professionally or academically.

Strong knowledge of Ruby, and solid knowledge of JRuby.

Knowledge of the Java platform and/or the JVM are recommended, since many students will be new to them.

Highly accessible. Students will participate from all over the world and frequent, consistent communication is the
best way to guarantee success.